Trinity UCC, which is breakfast go-to spot for many, amid $240K kitchen, hall renovation

An initiative to renovate the kitchen and fellowship hall at Trinity United Church of Christ will increase the community impact the church already has in Wooster and solidify even further its longtime free breakfast program.

Over the past 30 years, Trinity's fellowship hall has become a morning gathering place for neighbors looking for a warm breakfast and maybe some conversation. And now, the kitchen and hall are in need of some TLC of their own.

Worn-out appliances used over the past three decades need to be replaced and other renovations, such as a new front entrance, are in progress. The $240,000 project is funded through a congregational capital campaign, endowment funds and grant acquisitions.

Almost $60,000 in local grants have been secured and the church is trying to raise $80,000-$90,000 through other grants and outside donations, said Mike Lilburn said, a member of the congregation with expertise in seeking grants and writing proposals.

The church takes care of maintenance costs for the breakfast program, while outside contributions cover about $1,300 a month needed for food and supplies, Lilburn said.

The program runs year round, Monday-Friday, with breakfast available 8:30-9:30 a.m.

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Breakfast serves a need for many in the community

One regular attendee, Wooster resident Michelle Shelton, said her food stamp allotment isn't sufficient to last the month. On one occasion she had to borrow money from the church to extend her food budget, she said.

"I was a housewife," said Shelton. "I have a place to stay right now," but is dependent upon local churches, particularly Trinity United Church of Christ, for food sustainability.

She has been eating breakfast at Trinity for three years and additionally takes advantage of "an early supper" program at another church.

"You can literally plan your week around (free meals offered) and plan your food stamps accordingly," Shelton said.

Another regular, Phil Ritchie, said, "I come down here for breakfast, meet my friends and chill."

Ritchie had lived with his father before his dad died three years ago. Now he lives "here and there."

"My mom is in a nursing home, and we lost everything," he said. "We talk about the good old days. "I had different jobs here and there after high school," but career aspirations were hampered by dyslexia.

No proof of need is necessary, said Susan Muskopf, who with her husband, John, is a member of one of five teams comprised of members of the church and community. Each team takes one day a week to serve the meal, which during construction provided on a buffet table.

'Food insecurity is as much a problem as homelessness'

On a recent morning, French toast sticks, warmed in a roaster and accompanied by a little cup of syrup, were on the menu, as were bananas and pastries.

The main dish varies each day, incorporating eggs, sausage, breakfast pizza, biscuits and gravy, and pancakes − modified to fit the cooking capabilities while the project is underway.

At a restaurant, each meal would cost $10-$12, Muscopf said.

Among the people served at Trinity, "food insecurity is as much a problem as homelessness," Lilburn said. "It's not just the homeless population everybody sees."

As important as one substantial meal a day is to attendees, program supporters "know it's more than a meal," said the Rev. Kevan Franklin. "It's about community. "We fill the gaps agencies and governments cannot fill."

He also said transportation is a big issue, as is rent that is going up.

The church helps with immediate needs through a discretionary ministry fund, he said, such as providing money for gas to get to work or taking care of a medical bill unable to be paid.

These are the kind of situations arising "where people get stuck and start going down the hole," Franklin said.

Internship training opportunity for College of Wooster students

Breakfast isn't the only provision offered by Trinity United Church of Christ, which also serves as a gathering place where people feel comfortable and safe to meet with representatives from agencies such as OneEighty and Viola Startzman Clinic for other needed assistance.

Trinity Church is a participant in Wooster's Homelessness Task Force.

Some of the volunteers at Trinity are College of Wooster students, said Franklin, who each summer hires a student intern.

One former intern, planning a career in public health, wrote an independent study on the nutritional component of the breakfast program and came up with ideas to make it healthier, he said.

When students graduate and "go out in the world," Franklin said, they're going to have the opportunity to funnel the training they get at Trinity to make an impact.

"You have to put a face on this (population)," Franklin said.

Lilburn is hoping to increase public awareness of the church's efforts to offer a hot breakfast to the homeless and low income residents of Wooster.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster Trinity UCC kitchen getting new look and new appliances